IBM's First Power6 Box: A Glimpse Into System i 2008 Edition
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

As the rumors swirling around for the past few weeks suggested that IBM would, the company last week launched the Power6 processor and its first server to make use of it. IBM had been hinting rather strongly that the first machine to get the Power6 chip would not be a System i, which got the Power5 chip first in 2004, but rather a System p box. That machine gives System i shops a glimpse of a midrange/high-end server that awaits them in the future--most likely in 2008. READ MORE >

Virtualization, Consolidation Drive Server Sales in Q1
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

The massive churning in the server business continued apace in the first quarter, according to market statistics released by both IDC and Gartner. While neither company ever agrees down to the second significant digit when it comes to revenue market share in the server space, the analysts at IDC and Gartner agree that the virtualization of servers is driving the sale of more expensive boxes and server consolidation is pushing lots of new iron into data centers and, presumably, lots more older iron out. READ MORE >

IBM Offers Upgrade and Trade-In Promotions to Bolster System i Sales
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

With new user-priced System i 515 and 525 boxes out the door a month and a half ago to address the entry server market and no expectation of a revamping of the System i line with the Power6 processors until early 2008--unless, of course, market conditions force IBM to change its plans--the company last week announced a number of promotions that are designed to lower the cost of buying a modern System i and get customers to spend now rather than later. READ MORE >

The X Factor: Small Is Beautiful
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

For the past five decades of the computer industry, three forces have been at work that have determined the trajectory of all hardware and software technologies. The first, and perhaps the most important, is the desire by companies and individuals to want to automate processes and store data. Without this desire, Moore's Law--the ability to put more transistors on a chip to boost processing or memory capacity--would be meaningless. Data centers would be the size of a pack of cigarettes, and they would only cost $100. READ MORE >